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From the inaccessible depths of the terrestrial interior to the vast reaches of our galaxy, our planet and the natural systems surrounding it provide important clues to the course of our future. At MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), we persue research seeking to advance understanding of the fundamental controls on complex natural systems, and on the environmental challenges facing our world, while providing a new generation of scientific leaders with sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge to tackle the complex unsolved problems of our science.

Faculty and students work in a wide range of disciplines, including geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geobiology, atmospheric science, oceanography, astronomy and planetary science. The interdisciplinary nature of that research is a hallmark of the department; and, many faculty members work in more than one area. This gives EAPS the unique ability to tackle complex issues from local environments to planetary scales.

Faculty and students work in a wide range of disciplines, including geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geobiology, atmospheric science, oceanography, astronomy and planetary science. The interdisciplinary nature of that research is a hallmark of the department; and, many faculty members work in more than one area. This gives EAPS the unique ability to tackle complex issues from local environments to planetary scales.

Our alumni are important to us, and we encourage you to maintain your personal and professional ties with EAPS and MIT. There are many ways to get involved. Stop by Building 54 when you are in Cambridge, read our newsletters, EAPSpeaks and EAPS Scopeor join us for department events, including our annual receptions at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting and the Society for Exploration Geophysicists Annual Meeting. Take advantage of all the MIT Alumni Association has to offer by registering for an Infinite Connection account to use the online alumni directory and to set up e-mail forwarding for life. Whether you become active in a local MIT club or attend an alumni event in your area, you can remain connected with your peers and intellectually engaged with the Institute.

Research

Climate

How does the understanding of ancient and planetary climates help us prepare for our own environmental crossroads?

In 1928, MIT became the first institution in the nation to establish a meteorology curriculum, and has been a leader in climate science ever since. Continuing to advance our understanding of climate systems is one of the great intellectual challenges—and responsibilities—of our time. With cyclones growing in frequency and ferocity, communities increasingly being threatened by landslides and extreme flood events, and melting permafrost endangering habitats and belching large amounts of trapped carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, the need for fundamental research is becoming more and more critical. Collaborating with researchers across multiple disciplines, we are determined to understand how climate works and how our scientific knowledge can guide us toward long-term sustainability.

To help plan for the future, we seek to answer profound questions. What caused Earth’s past climate shifts, and what is our climate’s natural variability? How do climates evolve on other planets? What role do the oceans play in regulating Earth’s temperature? What about their role in the carbon cycle? Can microbes influence the atmosphere? How does ocean acidification affect the biosphere? Does airborne particulate matter affect cloud formation? What are the links between anthropogenic activities, air and ocean pollution, and climate change? Does rapid climate change contribute to mass extinctions?

How do EAPS scientists conduct their research?

In EAPS, atmospheric scientists, oceanographers, geologists, and planetary scientists work together to understand the elaborate, interconnected natural systems which combine to produce and influence our climate. Precise uranium dating of stalagmites found in a Nevada desert cave provides a timeline for a once much wetter American West.

In the mountains of Rwanda, the first long-term atmospheric observing station on the African continent will fill in vital missing data about global greenhouse gas emissions. The MIT Global Circulation Model—a sophisticated virtual tool now used by hundreds of researchers around the world—simulates the interplay between the oceans, atmosphere, and climate in 3-D, with the capacity to examine ocean dynamics at the planetary scale, all the way down to fine resolutions of just one square kilometer.

Seismic sensor networks allow us to continuously monitor seasonal fluctuations in the Greenland ice sheet. And by making a few adjustments to a cloud chamber designed to study atmospheric conditions on Earth, we are able to create a Martian analog which allows us to study how clouds may form on the red planet, giving us insight into the mechanics of our own climate.